Their feet
shuffled slowly…limply, like walking corpses all in themselves.And yet everyone was in cadence with a large
procession of bodies.A death stream.Afloat in the wake of their arms was an
ivory casket, emblazoned with the crest of the royal family.

A dreary
afternoon…

On a stormy
day…

Under the lightest of ice cold
drizzles…

On either side of the procession,
hushed masses huddled.They formed two
walls of sick, shivering souls.It was
as if the blinding casket sucked the life out of each and every one of
them.Nothing more outspoken than a
cough or a shudder emanated from their frozen ranks.

Bottomless sorrow was returned with
mouthless mourning…

That is the way it’s always been;
whether royal or righteous…

And yet a seething pain in the
hearts of every prince or pauper…

The casket
drifted downstream of the Kakariko Graveyard.Each footstep the robed carriers made caused the damp earth to splash
and tear a little bit more than before.At the end of the sorrowful current, the unmistakable headstone of the
Royal Family loomed.Its mouth,
freezing and fuming with death-stench, awaited yet another appetizer in as many
hundreds of years.

Gathered
besides the headstone were the highest of blood…

The most
elite of Hyrulian hierarchy…

And heroes
whose lives outshined the laud they earned from their kingdom…

In a somber
line stood those paying their deepest of respects;the honorable Big Brother Darunia, the Regal King Zora, and the
Desert Matriarch Nabooru.Across from
them—and closest to the headstone—the friends, servants, and remaining family
of the deceased monarch gathered.Towards the right side of the front line, Impa of the Sheikah and
Guardian to the Royal Family stood at full attention.Her violet eyes battled the brightness of the casket’s ivory; for
something about its very existence threatened to burn straight into her soul;
like a latent stab of guilt and responsibility.But to mourn at a royal funeral would be the least of a Sheikah’s
duties; an insult in that day and age.Impa could only pity those of who still lived by their emotions.

She glanced at her left side; at
the figure huddled beside her.His head
was bowed and his face shadowed by the hood of his cloak.It was all the boy could do to avoid the freezing
touch of rain, or maybe to hide drops of a saltier nature.Impa felt a connection to him, like he was
the last child in what was only recently an ever-promising family.She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder to
ease his spirit.Whether or not she
succeeded was not her place to anticipate or judge.But from under her touch he looked up.And when he did, the shine of the casket seemed to highlight the
pale sadness in his face; and the thin curtain of tears sneaking down across
them.With hollow blue eyes, Link
watched the casket reach its destination at the end of the stream.

And a new
name had been etched into the headstone…

The name
seemed whiter and purer than any stone engravings could match…

And the
name was that of the Princess of Destiny…The Sage of Wisdom…

Dead and
gone.

======

The wind
stung against Link’s face as he rode Epona.Like a red and green lightning bolt, he blurred across the vast field of
Hyrule.The sunset was turning the land
into a blood-red cauldron by the time he reached the city’s gates.The guards immediately recognized him and
made no complaints when he leapt off his young steed’s saddle and ran
full-speed into the city.

His
desperate lungs heaved.His heart
balanced between beating and breaking.Through his bobbing vision, Link saw a huddled mass of soldiers and
servants in the center of Hyrule Market.Commoners and city dwellers had formed an outer ring around them; and
were already sobbing.

That was
the sight Link needed to open his mouth.And in spite of all the pain leaping forth from his throat—even then, no
words came out.

Out of the
crowd, a haggard Impa saw him.She
caught Link’s body before it could fly into the huddle.

“Don’t
look, Link,” she breathed.He struggled
in her strong arms, and she tried to wrestle him down.“She’s gone….don’t look, please….”

Link’s
whole body spun in her grasp.His damp
eyes clenched shut, and he dashed the last two or three steps needed to pierce
the wall of bodies and see that which was in the center….

And Link
saw her…

And his
face died for the first time…

But not the
last time…

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

“There’s
something I absolutely love about Autumn,” Anju smiled at the open door to the
Stock Pot Inn.“It finally brings the
cool air into this humid Termina of ours.Gods know, we could use this sort of refreshment all year round.”

“Yes,
honey,” Kafei stood behind the lobby’s counter.He lifted his eyes momentarily from the reservations list and
smiled.“But if it *was* all year
round, we wouldn’t have a reason to love Autumn so much, would we?”

Anju hummed
and hugged herself.“Perhaps,” she
stared out into the courtyard of East Clock Town.“You’re right.But I do
wish it’d last longer here.”

“I’m more
of a fan of Summer myself,” said Kafei.

The lady
rolled her eyes, “Because all you did when you were a kid was play sports and
games around town with the rest of the Bombers your age!A warm day was your greatest ally!How could you appreciate the comfortable
feeling you get from snuggling by the fireplace inside on a winter’s day??”

Kafei
shrugged with that trademark, handsome smirk.“Forgive me for being a boy…”

“Yeah,
well….,” Anju gave the afternoon sky one last breath before shutting the door
and walking over to her husband.“I
kinda sorta wished I could have been joining you on all those summer days of
play.”“Hey!I-It’s not like I didn’t invite you to join
us!”

“But you
were so silly about it,” Anju moaned.“Leave it to boys that age to treat a girl with clown’s manners.”

“That was
Tingle’s job.Not mine.”

“Brrrr…..that
man scares me….even today.”

“You’re not
alone,” Kafei said and returned his gaze to the reservations.“Too bad it’s not so busy this time of
year.”

“Mom always
figured that tourists from the cold, north regions would come down here to
enjoy Clock Town’s warm wonders,” she smirked.“But all we seem to be worth nowadays is the yearly Festival.”

“Well, ever
since the Moon Incident, it’s been the talk of the Coastline from here to
Jeslem.”

“Yes…,”
Anju nodded slowly in remembrance of the near-apocalypse that transpired a
little over two years ago.“I often
wish we weren’t popularized by such a gruesome event.”

“It’s
helped us out financially….big time…,” Kafei glanced up.“Ya know….in the last two years.”

“Is that
all you can think about?!Money?!”

“S-Sorry,”
Kafei chuckled.“Blame it on my
blood.It’s the politics in me.”

Anju
upturned her nose.“Your father is
elected mayor every two years because he’s had that position almost longer than
most people here have lived!”

“Yeah….ain’t
it cool?”

Anju
giggled.She leaned in and gave Kafei a
kiss on the cheek.

“What was
that for?” he glanced at her curiously.

“For
existing.”

And he
smiled.

A bell
jingled.

Both
husband and wife looked immediately at the door; which was now open.At the entrance stood two men.

The first man—whose hand was on the
knob—was a large fellow with both girth and muscles combining to produce a
strong, walking rock of a figure.He
was slightly balding, and the lower rim of his round face was adorned with a
dark black beard and mustache; prominent—yet not of the outlandish, unkempt
kind.His eyes were the most striking
thing of all; most likely due to the message they gave, and it was that of
benevolence and leadership sort of thrown into one.

The second man—all but cowering
behind the frame of the first—stood with four large pieces of luggage hung
precariously under his arms.He had a
very lank, thin frame and the meek eyes of a servant.Beads of sweat formed under his mat of brown hair.All in all, he presented himself as no
greater than the might of a mouse under the shadow of the strong one ahead of
him.

“Greetings,” boomed the first man
in some curious mix of charm and chivalry.“I am Mordun, with the Ladies of Feordia.I believe I sent a messenger here three days ago to reserve us a
room in your lovely Inn.”

“We usually don’t receive customers
this late in the day,” stated Kafei as his eyes and fingers ran down the
list.“Yep!Here you are, Mr. Mordun.Party of Five.The Eight Room,
upstairs.I was wondering when you
people would come in.”

“Well, sorry we were so late,” Mordun said with a
scratch of his beard.“This land is
quite strange to us, and we have come a *long* way in hopes of visiting
it.May we come in?We have quite a bit of luggage on us.”

“Okay…,” said the thin man
breathlessly.He trucked in the bags,
dropped them in a corner, and rushed over to the door like a royal servant,
holding it open.

In a slow and graceful procession,
two heavily cloaked figures drifted into the lobby from the autumn
exterior.They wore thick, woolen hoods
that shadowed any and all recognizable features of their faces.One was somewhat taller than the average
height a Terminian male, and the second contrasted greatly for she had the
short stature of an aged dwarf underneath all the cloth.Together they seemed like monks or pious
scribes.Anju and Kafei—even the most
polite couple known in Clock Town—couldn’t help but stare…

That is, until Mordun cleared his
throat:“Ahem….these ladies are
religious students of The Grand Teacher of Feordia.They are highly dedicated to the Spirit of the Heavenly Gold, as
my comrade Therald and I have been told.We were merely hired to give them safe passage to the location of one of
the Gold’s ancient resting places; the Land of Ikana.”

Anju suddenly smiled.“So we’re still Ikana, I see.It’s about time we had someone visit us for
the glory this land once was, rather than the festive youth it is today.My husband and I are deeply honored to assist
you in your stay,” she addressed the four as a whole with a curtsy.

Anju blushed and Kafei
smirked.The young man hooked an arm
around his wife and said, “Actually, Mordun, we’ve been married for a little
over two years now.”

“Ah…but you still have the youth in
you,” Mordun sighed.“An old man such
as myself still sees it in others when he can.I’ve experienced it once before, and how I miss those days.See them, Therald?Don’t you see the youth blossoming in the couple?”

“Uhm….y-yes, sir,” Therald said
shyly.He, himself, was rather
young.“I-I do see it.They l-look nice together…”

Anju giggled.“Looks like we have ourselves a couple of
winners, Kafei.”

“Yes,” the man nodded.“And they’ve just won themselves a peaceful
stay in our humble inn.”He glanced
once more at the two ladies.They
haven’t spoken a word since they arrived.“Ahem….I’ll get our Helping Hand to assist you with your bags.”

“Oh, it’s the least we can do,”
said Kafei, raising a cow bell from under the desk.“Besides, it’s the boy’s way of ‘earning his stay’ here….or so he
thinks.”With that said, the
blue-haired fellow rang the bell and called out to the ceiling:“Link??We’ve got customers for the Eight Room!”

Everyone was silent as an
ever-increasing pitter patter of feet bounded its way across the second floor,
ambled down the steps, and came circling around and into the lobby.Suddenly a thirteen-year-old boy dressed in
a green tunic and with blonde hair shuffled up to attention.His mannerisms were quick, polite, and—above
all—silent.Dead silent.And yet there was nothing less than life in
his face when he smiled, bowed, and gestured towards the bags.

“Your bell boy?” Mordun smiled.

“Our everything-boy,” Kafei
shrugged.

“Go ahead and take the bags up,
Link,” Anju said, tossing him a key.“And if you can, escort these two ladies to the room so they won’t get
lost….”

The boy nodded.He wandered over to the corner and picked up
the bags Therald had dropped.

“You got th-them?” asked the young
man.

Link nodded, gestured something
quick with his fingers, and took off with two pieces of luggage.He looked back and slowed down just enough
for the two ladies to follow him at a comfortable pace up the stairs.

Therald looked inquisitively at the
young innkeepers.“He’s a quiet
one…i-isn’t he?”

Anju nodded.“More or less.He’s been with us for two years now.He’s practically like family.”

“Remarkable,” Mordun stroked his
beard.“And those clothes he’s
wearing….they don’t look native with the styles of this region.”

“Ah….we do believe he was an
outsider before he….,” Anju stopped in mid-speech.

“I’m sorry, did I pry too much?”
Mordun asked.

“Not at all,” Kafei smiled
assuredly.“It’s just that….Link has
blessed us in ways that would take an afternoon and a night to explain.”

“Well,” Mordun grinned.“If it ever eases you to know, we’re all
ears.”

Anju chuckled.“Well, good for you.Just about everyone we’ve told thinks the
story is downright precious…..”

***

The key fit
into the lock.The knob clicked
free.And Link gently swung the door
open for him to walk through with two large bags in tow.He walked halfway down the length of the
room and set the things down amidst four pairs of bunkbeds.

It wasn’t
long before two other footsteps echoed through the room.The two ladies in dark gray entered behind
him.They paused—as if taking in the
sights of the room from under their black hoods.And then they made themselves at home; as much as two stoics
could.

Once Link
was finished unloading the first half of the luggage, he turned around and
headed towards the door with hopes of heading downstairs for the second half.He remembered to pause, smile, and point
downward with his finger as if to let the customers know that he wasn’t
permanently bailing out on them.But
once that was done and he made for the door, he was rather surprised when
suddenly the short woman in gray stood out before him.

“You are a
kind heart…..I can tell,” breathed the woman.Her voice came soft and hoarse out from under the dark hood.Link stared at her, blinking.He was more curious than surprised.And yet, she continued with her scratchiness:“It is people like you who make us happy for
having come to this land.Undoubtedly,
the treasure that left us so long ago will reappear in magical ways to award
our patience.”

Link seemed
confused.He made a gesture, not really
expecting the woman to understand.

But she
whispered on, “Why…the greatest treasure there ever was!It once glorified our land, but long ago it
made a journey elsewhere…in search of other places to shine.And shine it did.We are not saddened by this.Instead, we are made proud.”

Link
swallowed.Rather nervously he nodded
and gave an expression of luck and good will.

Suddenly,
the taller cloaked woman spoke with a voice much firmer than the shrunken
lady.“You may go now and grab our
other bags.Do not feel the need to
make extreme haste.We plan to be in
this land as long as it takes for the treasure to reappear.”

Link bowed,
smiled one last time, and left.

As he
traveled down the hall, he took a deep breath and glanced out of a passing
window on his right.

Termina
seemed bright enough on its own…

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

“I’m only
going to be gone for a little while!” Navi giggled.“You don’t have to worry about me so!”

Link let
out a huge sigh and slumped back in his bed.After what felt like a soundless moan, he raised two hands up and
gestured.

Navi ‘read’
what he had to say and placed her hands on her hips.“It was not two weeks last time!If I remember correctly, it was only eleven days!That’s hardly two weeks!So what if I wasn’t so accurate on when I’d
come back last time?”

She hovered
across the inside of Link’s treehouse as the boy stood up and signed something
rather fervently.

“Oh for crying
out loud!Don’t take it so personally
when I say that!” Navi pouted.“It’s
just true!I have about twelve sisters
that I must keep track of and check in with!You, on the other hand, have no siblings!You can’t POSSIBLY understand what responsibilities a faerie like
me has!”

Link looked
down at his feet depressingly.A breath
of forest wind flew into the treehouse, kicking at the leather doorflap to the
room.

“Awwww…..Link,”
Navi fluttered over and landed on his shoulder.She proceeded to ‘hug’ his face.“Don’t worry.I won’t be gone
long.I promise, ‘kay?Just….just….don’t use that lonely face on
me.It makes me feel bad.”

Something
about Navi’s thin, dragonfly wings brushing against Link’s neck must have made
him happier.Ticklish, he giggled and
he stroked a loving finger down the faerie’s back.

Navi smiled
and let loose a glow that warmed the young Hylian’s neck.“I knew you’d come around!Hehehe….now, you wait here.I need to get a few things.Ya know…a faerie’s gotta pack!”

Link waved
her on, and the small pixie fluttered her way out the door….and into the
forest….

And Link
was alone.

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

Link’s hand
guided the pen along the deku paper.In
simple, Hyrulian text he wrote out a basic word.

Tatl was
perched at the head of the sheet.She
eyed Link’s handwriting quietly.When
he was done, she read the word upside down:“Light…”

Link
nodded.He put the pen in the ink well
and gestured a single symbol with his hand.

Link
nodded.Gracefully he reached for the
pen, dabbed off some excess ink using the rim of the well, and proceeded to
write another word across the paper.

It wasn’t
the quietest writing atmosphere in the world, but what can one expect from the
churning, wooden bowels of the Clock Tower?Link and Tatl sat a few yards away from the waterwheel and the rushing,
underwater stream of Termina.Every now
and then a cool mist rose to blanket their figures, and an even cooler gust of
air came from the land’s labyrinth of underground caverns.It was a great place to relax….as well as to
strategize how to save the world from a falling moon.

Link
finished writing his next word.

“Hmmm,”
Tatl read.“Hehe….’faerie’…”

Link smiled,
placed down the pen, and demonstrated his hand sign for that.

And Tatl
learned.Like all faeries, she had a
magical wealth of knowledge and knack for memorization.“Who taught you all of this stuff?”

Link merely
smiled.

“Oh…fine.Be that way.I never really liked mysterious men.”

Link glared
at her amidst writing the next word.But he was soon back on task.

“It must be
hard trying to be some sort of hero or savior of a kingdom when you can’t
talk.I mean….does that ever strike
your mind?”

He shrugged
and continued writing.

“I
mean….heck….I know I’ve heard of you,” she flew up to eye level with him, even
though he wasn’t looking at her.“Many
tongues have spoken of a ‘Hero of Time’ back in Hyrule!What with all your sword swinging and time warping,
I wonder if there’s any way you DON’T match that hero’s description?”She finished her statement with a
know-it-all-smirk.

But when
Link finished writing, he jabbed a thumb down towards the paper.

“Hmm?” Tatl
looked down and read.“’Chatterbox’…HEY!”

Link
giggled and did a ‘talking mouth’ with his left hand.

Tatl swiped
him a little punch in the shoulder.“So
you’re not all that innocent after all!You little creep!”She then
smiled.“I think something tells me
you’re used to a faerie’s personality….”

At that,
Link stopped giggling.His expression
turned just sort of somber, and his eyes glanced down.

“Oh?” Tatl
hovered lower and glanced up at him.“Sore subject?Tell me, just who
was your faerie before I bumped into you?”

Link responded
quicker than she anticipated.Almost
frantically, he produced a sign with his hands.

Tatl merely
blinked at him.

Sighing,
Link brought pen to paper and wrote down a strikingly simple name:

“Navi….,”
Tatl mouthed.“Hmm…..almost sounds
familiar.”

Link’s face
brightened.

The faerie
grimaced, “Er….I-I can’t say for s-sure.Ya know, th-things just get around in the forest….heheh….”

Again, Link
looked down.

Tatl was
silent….staring at him.Finally she
said, “That’s why you came here….in the first place, wasn’t it, Link?”

He looked
up at her.There wasn’t exactly
affirmation in his eyes.But she felt
good enough about her assumption.

The faerie
swallowed.“And look what me, Tael, and
the Skull Kid dragged you in….”

Link
shrugged.She was touched in how little
he wanted to blame her…..or people in general.Did he ever get mad?

“Well,”
Tatl suddenly perked up and sat back down onto the paper.“I’ve got a lot to learn of this ‘hand
language’ thingy.Cuz something tells
me that, before this whole thing is over, I’m gonna have to find out more about
you…”

Link
nodded….and he went back to pen.

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

“What do
you mean, ‘Navi hasn’t come back’??”

Link looked
at Zelda, then to the floor.He let out
a huge sigh, then signed something desperate.

“Four
weeks?!” the princess nearly jumped.She walked across the royal library to where the boy in green
stood.“Well, now maybe I can
understand your reason for concern.Has
she ever been gone this long, before?”

Link slowly
shook his head.

Zelda
swallowed.After a pause, she produced
a hopeful smile and placed a hand on Link’s wrist.“Link…don’t worry.I’m
sure she’s just busy.Faeries owe
important duties to their families.You
know that.”

Link nodded
and stared dazedly out the window.

Zelda
stared at him from behind.The setting
sun cast a dying amber through the windows, and it almost made his blonde bangs
more golden.Even though she was
holding his hand, he seemed so far away.He was like a treasure dropped out of the forest, and it honestly
frightened her so much to think that he was going to….

And yet,
the princess was faltering.She
stammered more than talked, “…we’ve gotten so close….over the last few
months…..y-you…and I…..e-ever since I learned…..I learned how to talk to you…..really
talk to you…….”

Link’s lips
parted ways a bit; as if he wanted to say something but forgot the ever-present
fact that he couldn’t.That he
wouldn’t.That something stung and
seethed within his soul, preventing him.He drew his mouth closed and looked down.Navi was on his mind again.

“Then you
are leaving this land….,” Zelda went on.She suddenly struck a regal smile.“I want to give you something to remember me by….”

Link looked
up in time to see Zelda duck out of the room.After a few moments, she walked back.There was something in her grasp.Something bright and pristine.Something very familiar.

“Here,
Link….take this,” she said, offering him the Ocarina of Time.“It will guide you safely through whatever
lands you must cross in search of your lost friend.And as long as you have this, you’ll always have something to
remember our….our friendship by.”

Link
stared—almost unbelieving—at the sacred relic of the Royal Family.He looked at her with humble eyes.“I can’t…,” said his face.

Zelda
smiled.“But you must, Link.In times of trouble, you can count on the
Goddess of Time to save you.And you
will be in my prayers.But always
remember this song, Link.For this
reminds me of us…”

And with
that, she placed the ocarina to her sweet lips, and played…

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

The last
few notes rang out into the void between the past and the present.And soon Link was standing before the door
of the Clock Tower.With closed eyes,
he pulled the Ocarina from his lips and slowly breathed in the moist, morning
air.

And it was
the beginning of the first day, all over again.

“Link?………..Link?……Are
you okay?”

The boy’s
eyes fluttered open.Tatl hovered at
eye-level, her wings giving off a sympathetic glow.“We did it….Link….well, you did it,” she simpered.“The curse was removed from Snowhead….and we
released another one of the Gods…”

Link looked
down.He appeared almost sad as he
reached into his sack and produced the Goron Mask in his hand.He stared at it; the last legacy of
Darmani.The mask never felt more
hallow than it did now.

Tatl had so
far learned to read most of what was in Link’s eyes.“Yeah….,” she huffed.“I
know it’s depressing.”She spun about
in mid-air and looked at the workers building the Carnival Tower.The dog prancing about and barking its head
off.The mysterious little boy in a
Keaton Mask putting a letter in a mailbox.“After all we’ve done, after all the happiness and victory we’ve
wrought….just one simple little tune brings us back here….and everything turns
into nothing….and starts all over again.”

Link gazed
at her, then returned his stare to the mask.

Tatl shook
her head and then faced Link.“B-But we
mustn’t give up!Th-This is all going
somewhere!I know it!The key thing is to keep working!To keep on the goal!And that is to free the curse of all these
kingdoms!We’ve already helped two
out…the others should be a cinch!Are
you with me?”

Link was
silent.

Tatl looked
down.“Well….anyways….we’ve got to go
West, now.The next destination is the
Great Bay.I only hope we can figure
out a way to get over that stupid wall…”

Suddenly,
Link’s face brightened.He looked up
from the Goron mask as if stunned by a new revelation.He put both it and the Ocarina away and
gestured like mad.

“Whoah
whoah whoah!” Tatl waved her arms.“Slow down!I-I’m not as good as
Navi, remember?!”

Link
repeated what he had to ‘say’ slowly this time.

Tatl
blinked.“Th-The Bomb Shop?!But why do we have to go to the bomb shop?!”

“Link!Wait up!For crying out---why do we have to go to the Bomb Shop?!”

::::::

Tatl
gasped.“Link!Look!I-Isn’t that…..your horse?”

Link did a
double take and slapped on a grin of joy.He ran across Romani Ranch to the pen where Epona was corralled.He gripped the fence separating them with
two hands and pressed his face as close towards his young steed as he
could.He whistled and smiled when the
pony paid him attention.Epona neighed
and nudged her head against Link’s face between the fence posts.

Link let
out a giggle and smiled at Tatl.

“Uhm….yeah….all
well and fine,” the pixie stated nervously.She took a look around.Three
nights had passed since they last warped back with the Song of Time.The sky was blood red; cloudy and
nightmarish.Above, the moon was
careening ever closer.You could
practically taste its demonic grin.The
earth shook and crumbled and the apocalypse seemed just about everywhere at
once.What was worse, an unearthly
chill swept across Tatl’s beating wings.

“Th-This is
great, Link…b-b-but I think we could pick a better time for a reunion with your
horse,” Tatl said.She rubbed her
shivering arms and looked around.“Quite frankly, this looks like a scene out of the Shadow Temple.Brrrr….can we go now?”

Link
gestured towards Epona and motioned some frantic words.

“Well, he’s
just like everyone else!!” Tatl shrieked.“When we play that stupid song, we’ll go back in time and he’ll be here
all the same!Of course that boulder’s
keeping us from coming here earlier….but frankly, who needs this place?!I enjoy the end of the world a heck of a lot
better from a courtyard in Clock Town than an open field!Of course, that is Ground Zero but—dang it,
look what you’re doing!You’re making
me ramble!Now pet, ride, or kiss your
horse all you want….but do it quickly so we can get out of here and find out
just what’s going on in the Southern Swamp!”

Just like
that, Tatl was silent.It wasn’t so
much because she was done with her speech as it was that a strange, foreign
sound had caught her attention.And she
wasn’t alone.Link had already leaned
his pointed ears towards the front of a barn just besides the nearby
farmhouse.There was a little redhead
girl, sitting on the edge of a crate, sobbing her eyes out.

Link’s face
exploded in shock.He mouthed
something.

Tatl read
his lips.“Malon??Who’s that?”

But before
she could ask anything else, Link dashed over and knelt before the sobbing
girl.Rather sympathetically he looked
into her eyes, then at Tatl, then at the girl again.

The faerie
knew that the mute boy needed her help.So she cleared her throat, hovered up, and uttered:“E-Excuse us, little girl.But that’s our horse you have stolen--“

Link glared
at Tatl.

“Err….I-I
mean, what’s wrong?Why are you
crying?We only want to help!”

But the
redhead gave no answer.The world shook
under the falling moon, and the little girl kept on sobbing.She rubbed her eyes, glanced at Link, and
went on with her sad self.

Link stood
up slowly.His eyes were trailing the
landscape around them.For the first
time, he noticed the oddest thing; scorch marks covering the grassy field in
random places.It seemed almost as if
rings of fire flew down and burned the landscape.But most—if not all—of the burns converged in one place; the
structure of the barn.

“Um…..wh-what
on earth happened here?” Tatl mumbled.

Link paced
his way slowly towards the barn.He
placed his hand on one of the doors, but jumped—startled—when it simply fell
away.The whole inside of the barn
seemed charred….black…near demolished.He stepped inside and gasped when he felt cool air coming down from
above.He looked up to find that there
was no ceiling…no roof…only pieces of shattered wood here and there.

“All the
cows…..all gone…”Both Tatl and Link were
startled.They looked to a corner where
a tall, slender redheaded woman stood.The sight of her made Link do a double take and glance out the broken
doorway to the little girl then back to the lady.

The woman
was beyond depressed.She was almost
comatose.She stood in the corner with
her head shaking lifelessly.Now and
then the words would come from her mouth:“The cows are gone….it’s my fault…..I should have believed
her…..Romani….”

The earth
shook again.This was all that Tatl
could take.She faced Link to beg him
to play the song.But when she looked
at him, she stopped near-dead in her speech.

For the
first time—and certainly not the last—she saw tears in the little hero’s eyes…

***

“Remarkable
story…,” Mordun remarked.By his side,
Therald also seemed blissfully captivated…in his own nervous way.“Did this all actually happen simultaneous
to the Moon Incident?” asked the large man.“That must have been a hectic time indeed!”

Kafei,
holding hands with Anju besides the lobby desk, said: “Well, if not just for
us…then for all of Clock Town.Heck,
for all of Termina even!”

“Do tell….”

“We believe
that the Moon falling towards the land was only part of the problem Termina was
facing,” Kafei explained.“For you
see….in all four kingdoms surrounding Clock Town, there were innumerable events
of ugly proportions going on.”

“Oh….well,
that’s remarkable all the same,” Mordun grinned.“I bet that makes his past less mysterious?”

The
couple’s eyes trailed off.

Finally,
Anju said:“No….quite the contrary,
actually.”

***

Link smiled
as he walked.Clusters of people
chattered and chuckled the autumn evening away.As always, it was a pleasant day in Clock Town.A few members of the Bombers chased each
other straight across Link’s path.He grinned
at them and continued along.The cool
air kissed his forehead and kicked at his golden hair.

For a
second, he breathed in and relaxed because he felt…he felt….that this was
indeed home.

He felt….

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

Link
trotted off on Epona.But after a few
spaces, he had to glance back.If he
craned his neck up and looked high enough, he could spot the fair image of
Princess Zelda, standing in the window.She gave him a beautiful smile and waved like any royal daughter would.

That
brought a grin to his face.Satisfied
with the thought of her, he had the fuel to go on into a potential
unknown.He set Epona off down the path
towards Hyrule Town at full sprint.

Not knowing
it’d be the last time he’d ever see her….

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

“Not interested
in buying things?Why, I sell only the
finest and rarest of antiquities this side of the Northern Mountains!I kid you not!”

Link shook
his head and pointed—with emphasis—at the books behind the counter.

Crow, the
single employee/owner of the Curiosity Shoppe, realized he had no choice but to
give in to the messenger’s request.

“Fine!You strike a hard bargain!I don’t know why Kafei needs these books
back so bad.It’s not like he’s that
big a fan of horse riding anymore!”

Crow
reached over and grabbed a handful of the books before dumping them into Link’s
awaiting arms.

“There.You got a hold of that, kid?Didn’t mean to pound you there.”

Link nodded
and mouthed: “Thanks,” with a slight bow of the head.

Crow
scratched his back, “Ya know….I’m not that bad of a person.I hope you know that.I mean, I saw you lookin’ for Kafei way back
during the big Moonfall and all, and I figured the best I could do was help you
find him.So we could build trust, ya
know?I mean, a friend of Kafei is a friend
of mine.And you make a very good
friend, I kid you not!”

Link
blushed ever so slightly.Bringing a
chuckle to the shoppe owner.

“Ah…but if
only you knew how much you make those young birds happy,” he said.“I don’t mean to get sappy or nothin’, but
if it weren’t for you…they wouldn’t even be together now.”

Link’s eyes
drifted over, as if he actually was putting that into consideration.Then again, it wasn’t the first time he was
told that.

“You take
care now.And always remember…..them
birds are glad to have you in that inn.I kid you not!”

Link
nodded, and left in a hurry.

***

“Well,
then,” Mordun looked at his partner and then back to the couple.“Something tells me we’re needed
upstairs.Not only are Therald and I to
escort the ladies to this land, but we’ve also been enlisted as bodyguards…..I
guess you could say.”

“Bodyguards?”
remarked Anju with a little surprise.“Are people after these women?”

“Their
culture is a little too paranoid at times,” Mordun said.He leaned in and whispered, “Just don’t tell
‘em I said so.”

Kafei
chuckled.“I gotcha.The truth is safe with us.”

“Come,
Therald,” Mordun headed up the stairs.“Let’s get this over with so we can raid the milk bar!”

They headed
upstairs, and the sound of their footsteps ended with the shutting of the door
to the 8 Room.

Anju let
out a sigh and looked towards her husband, “I’m glad we didn’t get carried
away.They’re very nice people….but we
just can’t tell them everything….”

Kafei
nodded silently.“That’s something for
us alone to remember….”

::::::

The
Carnival of Time was in high gear.Fireworks sent showers of sparks every which way.There was dancing…singing….mask exchanging…all
the glories of a Terminian holiday, once delayed; but now finalized.

“And to
think that a week ago, it looked like the end of the world,” Kafei mused.She and Anju walked hand in hand up a
sparsely populated section of Eastern Clock Town.Most of the celebrators had gathered in the central portion of
the city.The newlyweds had a chance to
be on their own.“I’ve never seen a
festival this happy…and belated, even…”

Anju
giggled and gave him a light kiss on the neck.“It’s just a runoff feeling, Kafei.We’re starting our life together.What could be happier?”

“Hmmmmm….,”
Kafei hummed, then grinned.“A glass of
chocolate milk?”

Anju shoved
him.“Did I marry you or your stomach?”
she smirked.

“Well, you
married more than one part of me….that’s for sure…”

“Ah ha ha
ha ha…”

Suddenly, a
figure ran up to them.A small figure.

“Kafei!Anju!!You gotta come see!”

Anju
blinked.It was hard to make out the
figure until a bright firework exploded up above; revealing the youngster to be
Jim of the Bombers.

“Jim??” the
lady knelt down in her dress.“What’s
the matter?Is something wrong?”

The kid had
a panicky expression; something not usually found on the face of the
Bomber-boss.“P-Please!You just gotta come with me!It’s our new friend….he’s in trouble or
something!”

“Trouble?”
Kafei asked.“Who is this person, Jim?”

“H-His
faerie called him Link!” Jim said.

Both Kafei
and Anju gasped simultaneously.

“Oh gods…”

“Link?!He’s here?”

“Y-You know
him?” panted Jim.

The new
couple exchanged glances.

Anju stood
up.“Show us where he is, Jim.”

Jim led
them.They followed him down the rest
of East Clock Town, up behind the Milk Bar, and towards the entrance to the
city sewers…

“Jim, I
tell you what,” Kafei said.“You go run
off and fetch Doctor Feral.Anju and I
will have a look and see if…if Link is all right.”

Jim looked
up at Kafei, shivering.

Kafei
smiled and placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder.“Listen to me, Jim.I was
once a Bomber myself!I was once
second-in-command!In fact, I think I
was the longest running member of the club!So I *know* how important it is to help a fellow Bomber out.I promise you, we’ll see to it that Link’s
okay.You just go get Doctor Feral, you
think you can do that?”

Another
firework went off, along with a throng of cheers.Jim’s face was momentarily lit up as he nodded.“O-Okay, Kafei.I-I can do that.”He ran
off with his little feet.

“That’s a
tough job,” Anju remarked when the boy had left.“With all those people in Central Clock Town?I’m surprised if Doctor Feral doesn’t have
his hands full.”

Both were
very quiet then.For it hit them….just
what they were about to do.They owed
it to themselves to return a favor to someone who had made sure—on the brink of
Terminian destruction—that they united their love forever.They had to seek out and rescue a boy named
Link.

“I’ll go in
first….okay?”

“Okay,
Kafei…”

Slowly, the
newlyweds crept in.

It was a
dank and dark descent into the foul atmosphere of the underground
passageways.A few torches were lit;
and the two managed to creep their way through; howbeit awkwardly.They walked over cobblestone, hopped from
ledge to ledge to avoid the flowing streams of water beneath, and made a few
uncertain turns in complete shadows.But so far, there had been no remote sign of Link.

“This place
goes on forever…,” murmured Anju as both of them came to a stop.“Link’s a foreigner, isn’t he?The way he dressed and all….he couldn’t
possibly know more than we do about these tunnels.He’d be lost!”

“Why would
he run down here in the first place?” remarked Kafei.“None of this makes sense!Link is an intelligent person!”

“We hardly
know him, Kafei,” stated Anju.And that
made them both silent.They felt young
and inadequate for a split second.The
lady swallowed and added, “But….he never talked…..he had to have been hiding
something…”

“Something
that would make him come down here?I
still don’t get it…”

Anju lifted
a finger, silencing her husband.“Shhhh…,” she stared off into space and craned her pointed ear
upwards.“Listen…….”

Silence.

“You hear
that?”

Kafei shook
his head.

Anju looked
off towards a dark tunnel.“Somebody……is crying…..”

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

Link was
just at the bridge in the Southern Forest that led into Kokiri Village.At the familiar site he saw an even more
familiar figure….and of course, he smiled.

Saria stood
at the far end of the bridge.At first
sight of him, the emerald-haired girl gasped and waved a frantic arm:“Link!!Link!!Thank the goddesses
you’re here!”

Link lifted
his hands from the reign and did a desperate sign:“What happened?”

Saria took
a breath and let out a whisper.And the
whisper told Link.And the whisper
shook through Link.And the shaking
turned to quaking and turned to making a U-turn and---

“Link!!Come back!!” Saria ran halfway across the
bridge after him.He was speeding off
on Epona as quickly as the wind could take him.“Don’t go back!!It’s too
late!!It’s too late!!!!”

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

“Don’t you
hear it, Kafei?!” Anju exclaimed, staring down the tunnel.“I-It’s coming from way down there!”

“Hang on a
sec…,” Kafei walked towards the edge of their platform and leaned in.He strained his ear to the best of his
ability.And yes….he heard it.Like a falling snowflake, it came to him.Like a mouse on an empty stomach it rolled
over and died before him, only to come back to fight for life every shuddering
half-a-second that followed.

“Oh
gods….could it be…..Link??”

Anju
blinked.“I dunno.”A beat.“Come on.”

She
stepped--fully dressed—into the knee-deep waters of the tunnel.

“Whoah!Anju!Wait up!” Kafei jumped after her.“I-I could have gone first!Hey!Not so fast—“

“Link?”
Anju called out towards the weeping sound.“Link?Is that you?”

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

The wind stung against Link’s
face.Like a red and green lightning
bolt, he could be seen streaking a blur across the vast field of Hyrule.The sunset was turning the land into a
blood-red cauldron by the time he reached the city’s gates.The guards immediately recognized him and
made no complaints when he leapt off his young steed’s saddle and ran
full-speed into the city.

======

“Here, Link….take this,” Zelda
said.“It will guide you safely through
whatever lands you must cross in search of your lost friend.And as long as you have this, you’ll always
have something to remember our….our friendship.”

======

His desperate lungs heaved.His heart balanced between beating and
breaking.Through his bobbing vision,
Link saw a huddled mass of soldiers and servants in the center of Hyrule
Market.Commoners and city dwellers had
formed an outer ring around them; and they were already sobbing.

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

Anju and
Kafei waded their way down the sewer.The closer they came to the sound of the weeping, the quieter it seemed
to become.It was as if the entire
universe wanted to stifle the saddened voice from existence….

“Link??”
Anju asked, ahead of them both.“Link—“Her eyes locked onto an
open ledge towards the left.She cupped
a hand over her mouth.“Oh my….”

::::::

Tatl awoke
from the midst of her slumber.Tiredly,
she stretched her tiny limbs across the floor of the Clock Tower’s
interior.She yawned, sat up, and
looked around.How long had they chosen
their rest break to be this time?She
couldn’t quite remember.

Then she
glanced to her left and saw Link sleeping quietly, peacefully on the hard
floor.Despite the roughness of his
surroundings, the forest boy was uniquely capable of adapting and making
himself comfortable.

Somehow,
that brought a smile to the little pixie’s face.But upon seeing the scrambled bits of deku paper lying around
besides the pen and inkwell, the faerie became curious.

“Just what
was he working on before I drifted off?” she thought aloud.On dragonfly wings she fluttered over and
stood at the foot of the first paper she saw.

What the
words said brought a mixture of confusion and concern to her heart…

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

That was the sight Link needed to
open his mouth.And in spite of all the
pain leaping forth from his throat—even then, no words came out.

Out of the
crowd, a haggard Impa saw him.She
caught Link’s body before it could fly into the huddle.

======

Zelda smiled prettily.“In
times of trouble, you can count on the Goddess of Time to save you.And you will be in my prayers.But always remember this song, Link.For this reminds me of us…”

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

Tatl
stepped over the pages, reading the words beneath her bare, porcelain feet as
she paced.

“Dear
Goddess of Time……bring her back……please……Dear Goddess of Time……bring her
back……please……Dear Goddess of Time……”

::::::

Lying there
on the ledge, before Anju and Kafei, was a miserable Link.His clothes had been soiled.His hair has been tossed around.And his whole face was flushed with emotion.

He rested,
curled up in the corner, where he shook and shivered like a dying animal.He was sobbing like the pain of the world
was on his shoulders, and yet he was quieter than a pin drop.

“Link….what
are you doing here?” Kafei asked, leaning over his wife’s shoulder.“What on earth happened to you??”

Link
clenched his wet eyes shut.He
hiccupped for breath, but he couldn’t summon a voice.As much as he shook and heaved and struggled, no words could roll
forth.But his lips moved…and Anju saw
this.She could almost see the words.

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

“Don’t
look, Link,” Impa breathed.He
struggled in her strong arms, and she tried to wrestle him down.“She’s gone….don’t look, please….”

Tatl looked
squarely at Link’s form.His body
twitched once or twice, but otherwise slumbered peacefully.Was there any rest for him in the dream
world?

The faerie
sat in her own spot to go back to sleep.And as her restless mind started slowing down to rest…she wondered for
the first time:

Why is
he here?Why is he saving our land…?

::::::

Link let
out a huge breath.His tears came as
freely as before, but they were warm, peaceful tears this time…

“Link…,”
Anju reached over and grabbed ahold of his shoulders.

The eleven
year-old wasted no time.He flung his
arms around the lady’s neck and cried into her shoulder quietly.

Kafei knelt
down and joined the embrace.For the
second time, the couple was united; but this time it was with the same soul
that had made their joy possible to begin with.

Joy and
sorrow……hand in hand……

After a
while, Link grew still and quiet.The
doctor came, and found nothing wrong with the boy on first examination.But he was exhausted…vented…and alone…

Almost
without speaking, Anju and Kafei made a decision.The husband lifted Link into his arms, and carried him to a spare
room in the Stock Pot Inn.

And thus
began the promise of a new life….and new home…

::::::

Link
stood…with an armful of books in his hands…staring at the entrance to the
sewers.The path seemed much smaller
now to his thirteen-year-old frame.But
the memories were crystal clear.All
of Link’s memories were crystal clear.

The breath
of Autumn and the sounds of happy Terminians brought him back to the present
world.He had no choice but to smile.

The
promise was true to itself.

He took a
glance at the rooftop of the Milk Bar.He then looked at the books in his hand.Smiling, he made a decision.He walked calmly and quietly towards the Milk Bar’s rooftop…just as the
sun was beginning to set.

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

A dreary
afternoon…

On a stormy
day…

Under the lightest of ice cold
drizzles…

On either
side of the procession, hushed masses huddled into clusters.They formed two walls of sick, shivering
souls.It was as if the blindingly
bright casket sucked the life out of each and every one of them.Nothing more outspoken than a cough or a
shudder emanated from their frozen ranks.

Link
watched, and at one point, he felt Impa’s hand on her shoulder.He felt it an atrocity to take his gaze off
of the casket for one second.Until,
under the hushed drone of Hyrulian mourners surrounding, the slender white
object was carried into the Royal Tomb…safe beneath the earth….and cut off from
the Hero of Time’s sapphire sight.

The boy
closed his eyes.The hood fell off from
over his head and he lowered his face to the muddy grown.The drizzle turned to rain and formed trails
of liquid that dripped and dribbled off the ends of his blonde bangs.Everyone around him; the royal attendants,
the guards, Impa, even the King himself wandered over towards the tomb, leaving
him all alone.

Alone in
the memory of a princess who blessed him with her existence.

Alone in
the freezing realization that her existence was no more.

Princess
Zelda was dead.

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

Anju was
sweeping the front entrance to the Inn, and Kafei was moving a few pieces of
furniture to newly assigned spots in the lobby.

When all of
the sudden; out from the sun-kissed, amber evening sky…a sweet whistle sung
itself into existence.

Both young
spouses looked up, and smiled at the immediate recognition of the music’s
identity.

Link’s
voice……

Together,
the two crept to the doorway.They
hadn’t a need to look too far.Up
above, perched on the edge of the railing along the Milk Bar’s rooftop, stood
Link with his mysterious blue Ocarina.

Other
Terminians took a glance or two—and a few were content enough to watch
intently.This had become a regular
sight, and an altogether pleasing sound.When the voice of Link—the mysterious green stranger—serenaded their
pleasant town into the night.

It was a
new thing for Mordun and Therald, servants to the ladies from Feordia.They opened a window along the second story
of the Stock Pot Inn and watched with curious amusement at the mute boy making
sound.

***

Link had
felt eyes on him in the past.He knew
that his routine for announcing the coming of night had become about as popular
as the traditional, evening gong of the Clock Tower itself.

But he
wasn’t necessarily playing his heart out for them.And for that, the quiet boy felt somewhat selfish.

All he had
to do then was remind himself who had given him that very instrument.And it was for an unfathomably perfect cause
that he chose to use it every night.

For on the
death of each day, he hoped….he truly, secretly hoped….that the Goddess of Time
would hear his cry, and answer his prayer….